The Jennifer Lawrence film officially opens Nov. 22, but screenings will start as early as 8 p.m. on Nov. 21.

The release will have a head start on the typically stuffed Thanksgiving weekend box office, and is expected to be the movie to beat in a holiday season that'll be marked by director Peter Jacksons latest Hobbit movie, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (opening Dec. 13), and Thor: The Dark World (opening Nov. 8), starring Chris Hemsworth, brother of Catching Fire's Liam Hemsworth.

Last year, TheHunger Games, the first film hatched from author Suzanne Collins' young-adult book series, grossed nearly $700 million at the global box office. The film opened eyes right away with a $153 million start that at the time was the third-biggest-ever opening weekend.

Catching Fire could close in on the same title. BoxOffice.com is currently projecting the film will score a $168 million, three-day domestic debut. The gross would rival that of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, the movie currently in third place among Hollywood's all-time openers.

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